Live Update to Residents-May 13, 2020
Daily Live updates to residents on our in-house TV970 have become a popular way for us to stay in touch while social distancing! Today’s update featured John Burns, President and CEO; Robert Mann, Vice President Information Technology; Patti Pickering, Fitness Specialist; and Jenny te Velde, Chaplain.
The following updates were shared during the live briefing on TV970.
John Burns
There are 4.31 million cases of COVID-19 worldwide and nearly 295,000 deaths. Nationally, there are 1.34 million cases with 18,106 new cases since yesterday. There have been 80,820 deaths due to COVID-19, with 1,064 in the past 24 hours.
As of this morning, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) reports:
- 180,084 people have been tested for COVID-19, an increase of 8,845.
- Total positive cases are 25,431, an increase of 830. Of these, around 3,800 are in long-term care and approximately 2,000 are healthcare workers.
- Percent positive of those who have been tested is 14.1%, a slight decrease overnight.
- Currently there are 1,526 patients in Virginia hospitals. To date, 3,520 people have been hospitalized.
- There have been 927 deaths. 545, or 59%, have been in or from long-term care facilities.
- 3,554 individuals have recovered.
- Locally, Henrico has 1,146 cases, 112 deaths and 166 individuals have been hospitalized. Chesterfield has 862 cases, 29 deaths and 68 hospitalizations. Richmond has 592 cases, 18 deaths and 102 hospitalizations.
Thank you to everyone who has shared notes of encouragement or thanks. Your comments lift us up and feed us with the energy to push ahead. Thank you for your efforts to social distance from each other, employees and contractors. Please keep wearing your mask in public and washing your hands often.
Robert Mann
Resident Technology
The IT Department is available to support resident technology needs. Please continue to call the Resident Technology Hotline at ext. 4026 if you need assistance. Most problems may be solved over the phone. If not, your device will be picked up at your door, brought to the IT office and repaired, sanitized and delivered back to your apartment.
Video Calls Assistance
For residents that do not have devices, IT is offering a service to assist residents with connecting with their loved ones. Please call the Resident Technology Hotline at ext. 4026 to schedule a date and time.
Email Scams
Malicious cyber criminals are attempting to leverage interest and activity in COVID-19 to launch coronavirus-themed phishing emails. These are emails that may look legitimate and ask you to click on a link or open an attachment. Do not open unsolicited emails from people you don’t know. Be wary of third-party sources spreading information about COVID-19.
Texting Scams
There is a rise in texting scams that try to get individuals to click a link in a text message regarding COVID-19. An example would be a text message from a number you do not recognize that contains a statement similar to: “Someone who came into contact with you tested positive or has shown symptoms for COVID-19 and recommends you get tested. Please click the link for testing information.”
Do not click on links in these messages. Clicking on the link will download a virus that could compromise personal data on your phone. Government agencies do not communicate through text messages at this time.
Patti Pickering – Wellness
Patti shared hopeful words for the future and encouraging tips to prepare. Keep your bodies healthy, strong and flexible. Stay focused on the prize: the day the gates open wide!
Have you seen the movie It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood?
Mr. Rogers had a “lonely childhood… I think he made friends with himself as much as he could. He had a ventriloquist dummy, he had [stuffed] animals, and he would create his own worlds in his childhood bedroom.”
Rogers attended Latrobe High School, where he overcame his shyness. “It was tough for me at the beginning,” Rogers told NPR’s Terry Gross in 1984. “And then I made a couple friends who found out that the core of me was okay. And one of them was … the head of the football team.” Rogers served as president of the student council, was a member of the National Honor Society and was editor-in-chief of the school yearbook.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Rogers
Patti shared a few key points to remember, inspired by Mr. Rogers:
- “Something good can come from something bad.” Fred Rogers
- When we demonstrate self-discipline, we become disciples to each other and to our adult children. If you do not think they are watching you, think again. Your neighbors, adult children and grandchildren are watching you. They see you enduring this isolation, not just for your own safety, but also for the greater good: the health and well-being of our community. Your actions will influence their ability to cope with adversity.
- Keep the end goal in mind. Keep your hope in the future alive, find ways to reach out and encourage your neighbors, family and friends. Keep your body healthy, active and strong. When the gates open up to the world, you can have the physical strength and energy to greet your loved ones with wide-open arms. Let this be your legacy.
Stay active, greet each day with full deep breath, stretch and bend your body to remain flexible, walk daily and exercise with the videos on TV970!
Jenny te Velde – Pastoral Care
A Worship Service will take place on Thursday, May 14, at 10:30 a.m. on TV 970. Rev. Dr. Lynn McClintock will officiate. Bulletins for the service are in Pastoral Care’s May Prayer Booklet or on Touchtown Community Apps.
Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
3 though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city
of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
God will help it when the morning dawns.
6 The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord;
see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God!
I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth.”
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Prayer
From The Blue Book by Jim Branch:
O Lord, our God, so much of this life is lived in between; between the now and the not yet, between arriving and departing, between birth and death and rebirth, between growing up and growing old, between questions and answers. Help us not to live only for some distant day when the in between will be no more, but help us to step into the mystery of that sacred space here and now – knowing that it will be a place of genuine change and true transformation. Amen.